Search for the Best San Diego Museums

San Diegan’s love their museums and there are over 40 to choose from. And in celebration of their popularity these museums offer discounts to the local citizenry during the Month of March each year and on special days of the week for our city’s Balboa Park Museums. And combination tickets for Balboa Park are offered. One is titled A Passport to Balboa Park and the other is Balboa Park’s Stay for the Day Passes. Both can be acquired by visiting balboapark.org. Not to be overlooked is the nationally acclaimed discount ticket service called City Pass. Theyoffer a much wider selection of discounted tickets to major San Diego attractions through the county as well as regionally including Disneyland and even tours of movie star’s homes in Hollywood

Featured Museums

Romantic Balboa Park is the nation’s largest urban cultural park consisting of a forest of exotic trees, well-kept gardens, and a majestic lily pond, which is the most photographed site in the park. Here too is the renowned Old Globe Theatre and 17 outstanding museums, art galleries and one of the largest planetariums in the country.

The Heritage of the Americas Museum is located on the campus of Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego. The Museum is a cultural and educational facility featuring the prehistoric and historic art, culture and natural history of the Americas.Early inhabitants of the Americas came from Asia, both across the land bridge and by sea.

This awesome, historically significant museum is dedicated to preserving the glorious history and rich tradition of the United States Marine Corps. This historical museum is visited by more than 100,000 people annually. “A Walking Tour of the MCRD Command Museum” features fourteen galleries with dozens of exhibits.

Founded in 1798, Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, known as the “King of the Missions,” is a National Historic Landmark. It is the largest of all the 21 California missions that flourished here in the 1700′s and 1800′s, is home to a community of Franciscan Friars and is open daily to the public in the Franciscan tradition of hospitality.

Don’t miss Balboa Park’s fascinating aeronautical museum. It’s the San Diego Air & Space Museum, which is located in the historic Ford Building. The building is directly under the flight path of aircraft bound for nearby Lindbergh Field. You can hear these massive jetliners overhead as you browse this astounding collection of aircraft.

The fascinating floating museum at the Embarcadero consists of six historic ships and two submarines: the Star of India, which is the oldest active sailing ship in the world, the steam ferry Berkeley, the steam yacht Medea, the San Diego Harbor Pilot, also an actual Soviet-era diesel B-39 submarine and the deepest-diving submarine ever

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum features interactive toy trains, Lionel-style electric trains and a 20-scale mile long rail crossing of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. This museum is the only accredited railroad museum in the United States. It is the largest permanent operating model railroad exhibit in North America.

A visit to Balboa Park would not be complete without visiting the 37 working artist studios managed by over 250 local artists and see and speak to many of these artists while they create their works of art that are all offered for sale. The Spanish Village Art Center is nestled in the north eastern end of beautiful Balboa Park.

Experience the magic aboard one of the longest-serving aircraft carriers in U.S. Naval history, the USS Midway. It’s a must-see San Diego attraction. On board you’ll enjoy a self-guided audio tours for adults and families and more than 60 exhibits and displays throughout the ship. These include the galley, berthing spaces and more.

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Barry Berndes’ 49th Annual San Diegan

We’re the #1 City Guide with personally researched & reviewed content based on the print version of Barry Berndes’ SAN DIEGAN, who appears on the cover of all of his books dining in great restaurants. Since 1969, Barry has been engaged in writing the “Honest Guide” to San Diego, by reviewing every aspect of his hometown including dining in 1,000’s of restaurants. He goes unannounced, paying for his own meals and inspecting the kitchens of each restaurant he reviews. This is your assurance that you will receive the same experience he enjoyed. With over 5 million copies in print, he has gained international recognition with numerous on air interviews and numerous articles written about him. As a result, 6.8 million locals, newcomers and visitors actively follow his recommendations annually online and in print, and so should you.